Excited over Small Gifts

"And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:" Luke 21:1-3

How confused the people must have been when Jesus made this announcement! How could he possibly perceive that 2 mites was worth more than the abundance that the wealthy contributed? That's the difference in Jesus and us. He looks at the heart. We tend to look at the outside. We see with our eyes. We hear with our ears. We give according to our finances. Jesus was able to see, hear and even give what we can't - or in many cases - won't.

Today, when we read about the widow and the two mites, we fully understand what really took place. We know "why" the widow is considered to have given more - but do we really "know"? I ask because, all too often we fall into the same mindset as those that day who witnessed the widow's gift in comparison to what the wealthy gave. So often we get overjoyed when the financially capable donate large gifts, but do not recognize the huge gifts that the elderly, poor and even children give. We cannot see the fifty cents that a six year old gives with all his heart because we are so captured by the $500 that a wealthy member of our fellowship gives. We cannot see the hours of time a retiree puts in, cleaning and dusting the sanctuary because in our eyes, it dims in comparison to the gift of a new roof from richer congregants.

There are even congregations that encourage members or groups who give larger donations to come forward to receive recognition for their offering. Even though true believers realize that such displays rob the giver of their true reward from The Father, such a showing makes those with less to give, feel less important.

We must be careful that we obsere the "widows mite" in every facet of our lives. We must appreciate those who may only be able to give a little to us, but realize that "little" represents a large percentage of giving for them. The "little" we receive might be a blink from a quadraplegic, or a word of wisdom from the elderly. It could be a giggle from an infant or a pie from an aunt. The little could be sharing a few moments listening to a song or sharing a favorite book. Whatever the "little" is, let us begin to be thankful and pray for the sensitivity to recognize it when it comes our way. What "little" can you do for the uplifting of the kingdom today? What "little" have you recognized this week?

Let us aspire to be sensitive to the small things in life so that The Father can see fit to bless us with even bigger things. But then, aren't we already blessed with the bigger things when we acknowledge the small?

Much peace, blessings and respect to you!

At the Feet of Jesus

"And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." Luke 7:37-38

Hurt. Ashamed. At the end of the rope. Have you ever felt so low and hurt that it was not even an option to express it? Have you ever felt a hurt and shame so deep that in order to let it out, you feel like you must vomit it out, because it's rooted so deep? And once you began releasing it, the flood of emotions and tears seemed unable to find a bottom?

If you have ever felt that way, you can identify with this woman in Luke who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. Contrary to popular belief, we do not really know who this woman is. We only know that she is a sinner. Also, in contrast to popular belief, it does not say that she was a prostitute. We do not know her sin. We only know that it was great. She may have been guilty of infanticide, or stealing from the sick, or lieing, or betrayal, or any multitude or combination of sins.

The fact is that she was a sinner. And by being a sinner, any of us should be able to sympathize with her. Not knowing her particular sin allows us to put ourselves in her place. And surely we have all been there. I know for certain that I have been there. It is not a pleasant place.

This woman was so ashamed of her sinful life that she crawled along the floor until she got to our Lord's feet. She was so grateful for the opportunity to be allowed to caress his feet that she cried. She cried and she cried and she cried. You see, tears are often the beginning of cleansing our soul. The tears she cried were not crocodile tears, they were tears which came from deep within. Maybe by being in the presence of one so holy, she began to see herself for what she was and was moved to repent of her evil ways. Maybe her only option was to either free herself from her deplorable ways or risk a total decent into mortal, mental or spiritual death.

Have you ever been there?

If you have, you know what a lonely, dead, cold, awful, rotten place it is. She wanted out! She saw a glimmer of light. She crawled to that light and grabbed it with all she had left - even though she didn't have very much left. She saw hope! She saw peace! She saw love! She saw healing! She saw Jesus! And she knew he was the Way!

It filled her soul with a longing she could not explain and it all exploded as tears on his feet and once she started crying she could not stop. There was no way she could. At first it probably felt as though she would just die right at his feet.

Have you ever cried and hurt within so much that you felt as though you could just die right there?

The tears just kept coming and she couldn't stop them and eventually she didn't want to stop them! As she cried, what she was seeking (that she didn't even know she was seeking) began to flood her soul...her mind...her spirit!

She now had joy! She had peace! She had healing! She had love! She had redemption! She had Jesus!

And then she did something else! She gave Jesus all she had to give materially. She gave him her life savings! Why? Because he had given her everything! Nothing could compare to what he had given her.

I don't believe it seemed a sacrifice to her to anoint his feet with the costly oil. It was a gesture of gratefulness for saving her life! And giving it back to her much more abundantly than she could ever imagine! Jesus had put her back into the good graces of the Father! Nothing can top that or pay for that!

Yes, this woman was as hurt and filled with sin as anyone has ever been, but she was led to the right place to be released from it. That place is still there for us today. That place can only be found when we are sincere and humble ourselves and judge ourselves and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways!

That place is found at the feet of Jesus, whom the Father has put there for the remission of our sins! So when we get weighed down, and shamed and hurt and have had enough of killing ourselves, we can go there, just like she did and find relief!

Peace, blessings and much respect!

Ssssh! Say Nothing

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." James 4:11

This has got to be one of the hardest things for most people. You mean we shouldn't say anything negative about each other? I don't know about y'all, but sometimes people get on my nerves so bad that I feel a need to get all the negatives I feel about them out of my system verbally. Usually I feel the need to vent with a friend or loved one. However great doing this may feel to me, according to scripture, it is not the right thing to do.

The Father has left clear instructions for us to follow concerning how we speak about each other. From what I read in this passage, there is no room for negative speaking about a person - especially behind their back, ie (backbiting). Ewww! that sounds horrible! No one wants to be called a backbiter, least of all someone striving to be the best son or daughter of God they can be. But the truth is, friends, when we do these things, that's exactly what we become.

If you read James 4 in it's entirity, you will find that much of our need to do such things is to feed our own fleshly desires. Our number one desire is to feed our "pride". The human flesh always wants to feel like we're on top! We are fed constantly by the media to put ourselves first and to always make sure we win in every situation. And when I say win - I mean in a worldly way. Doesn't matter who you step on to get what you want and where you want to go.

This is not the Godly way to behave. Which brings me back to speaking evil against your brother (or sister). It's just unacceptable before The Father. The Word tells us to go to that brother if we have a grudge and speak to them. But, when you speak, you should speak the truth in love. You must not speak in a way to cut a person down or to hurt their feelings. More often than not, we don't even need to speak to that person, we just need to forgive and go on. Sometimes we need to let that relationship go if that person's spirit is of such that it continually causes you to want to verbalize negatively about them.

We must learn to do that which many of us find so very hard to do. We must be quiet and seek The Father's direction. Sometimes it's best to just say, "nothing". Much peace and respect to each and every one of you!

My Affliction is My Strength

af·flic·tion (\ə-ˈflik-shən\) 1 : the state of being afflicted 2 : the cause of persistent pain or distress 3 : great suffering


I know this title is a bit strange, but believe me, there's a message here. Praises to The Father! I was in meditation this morning and thought on Jacob and his affliction. If you're not familiar with this, click on the link for scriptures pertaining to it. I advise reading the whole chapter, but the key verses are Genesis 32:24-32:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=32&version=9&context=chapter

Jacob wrestled with God so long, that he developed a handicap. That's some hard wrestling! The thing is, even in the midst of his painful injury, he did not give up. You see, Jacob was fighting for a blessing! He was experiencing something very frightening to him. His first affliction was that he feared his brother would not only take his life, but his family's as well for a betrayal he was responsible for many years before. So, Jacob contended with God until he got a blessing. But, Jacob did not know that he was struggling with God. He thought he was fighting with a man. Isn't that how we often do? We think we are battling against a man and it's something so much more awesome! We think our employers or our government or people can help us, but it's The Father we must seek!

The thing I find outstanding about Jacob is that his afflictions became the highlight of his walk! That is awesome. He found joy in his affliction! I imagine every time he felt the pain in his joint instead of thinking negative, he thought of how close he was to The Father because of it. Isn't it during trials which affect our family and our body, that we seek God most? Jacob's blessing from JAH did not evolve without a struggle.

To the outside world he seemed weaker than any other time in his life. After all, he humbled himself before his brother and he had developed a limp. In truth, it was after he acquired his afflictions that he grew to be stronger, spiritually than he had ever been! This puts a new light on how we all can view our afflictions.

Much peace and respect to you! Be blessed!

Walking the Walk

Over the past several weeks as so often happens, I found myself doing some serious self evaluations. I was blessed to come upon these verses:

Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

These verses brought such focus to me. This is what we all must do who sincerely seek to do the Will of The Father! "To walk worthy of the vocation that we have been called" is so profound! This means that each of us are liable for the talents that we have been given. Whatever it is that The Father has blessed us with, we must do our very best in it. We must walk worthy of it! Meaning we must live holy and truthfully. But still as we strive to do our best, we must continue to cloak ourselves in humility. We must not get puffed up and think we are more than we are. We must remember that there will be trials. All is not promised to be easy and happy times. We must endure many conflicts such as: illness, poverty, ostracization, hunger, pain and the list goes on! Through all of this we should continue to walk worthy.

We also must endure many positive things that will challenge our walk: wealth, health, popularity, plenty, joy and the list continues. You might ask how such positive states could affect our walk? It is during times of plenty, when the people of God often get off track. Many of us forget to give thanks, we forget that we did not do this positive things of ourselves and we tend to take our good health for granted. We must be the sons and daughters He has called us to be at all times!

We also need to be kind and think of others. We should not be spiteful or vengeful. We should be known as a people of peace. When we come around, people should feel a joy, peace and love that they cannot explain. Let's not be angry or finger pointers! We need to walk in Love. We need to walk in peace. We need to walk in humility. We need to walk in truth!

As I walk this walk, I continue to pray for strength and direction to be a good ambassador for The Kingdom of God. Peace and blessings to you!

The Path to The Kingdom

In the 25th chapter of Matthew, Jesus gives us 3 clear examples of ways we can ensure we enter the kingdom and he tells the consequences if we fail:

1. Ten virgins - "Be prepared" or be cut off
2. Ten talents - "Do what you know you should be doing with what has been put in your care" or be thrown into darkness
3. Separating the sheep from goats - "Love one another" or be punished with the fire

I realize that these parables have earthly and heavenly meanings, but eventually we will all have to reap our eternal rewards. Thus the question: Are you on the right path to ensure you enter the kingdom?

The first example of the virgins vividly portrays how we are given the right tools as children of God. All of us have proper earthly vessels, but are we keeping them filled with holy oil? Or do we allow the oil to dry out and thus the the light is lost? If our vessels dry out, when The Father gets ready to use us, we are not prepared in any way to be used. At this point, our lamps are so dry that no fire will ignite. Still sadder is the fact that no one else can fill our vessels for us.

The second example of the stewards who were left with various degrees of wealth is compelling. This wealth could represent our talent, monetary gain or even spiritual gifts. No, not everyone is given the same measure, but with what measure we have, The Father expects us to use it for the uplifting of His kingdom. So many of us get caught up in coveting, feeling sorry for ourselves and living in fear that we accomplish nothing.

The third example of the sheep and goats is the most detrimental. This reveals how we love our fellowmen. Do we show love one to another? Do we recognize anyone's needs besides our own? Do we even seek to notice? When we do notice, what do we do? Being concerned, showing mercy, reaching out, having compassion and giving are all traits of love. Love is action. It's not enough to feel sorry for someone or to cry a few tears or even to just send a donation overseas. We must love those people who we know and see daily. The ones who tend to "get on your nerves" or are always so "needy" or grimy, or whiny , or snobbish, or unattractive, or bossy, or slow, or hyper, or whatever it is that we find less than perfect about them. This is how we show love. You see, love starts at home. Even in your very abode, community, school, city, county, state and country. That's where you start. Love sees a long way past imperfection.

The Son said we would burn forever if we don't love. I don't believe that's a threat. I think it's just the truth. Love is that important. We all need love. No matter how rich or poor. No matter how smart we are. No matter how physically fit. We were all made to give and receive love. Without love, we burn right here on earth with: lust, anger, envy, hatred, covetousness, greed, and a host of other abominable things. On the other hand, with Love comes: joy, peace, acceptance, wealth (not just material), purpose and a host of other good things.

Today, choose to stay filled with God's Spirit. Choose to do what The Father said to do. Choose to love everybody! The reward: A part in the Kingdom on earth and in heaven! Peace and blessings!

Speak with Love

"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,

which is the head, even Christ:" Ephesians 4:15

Some people think it is their duty to tell others "just how it is". To these people, it doesn't matter how they relay their message, but just that they let the person in question know how they feel about whatever!

They often justify their unholy methods by saying things like: " I don't back down to nobody!" or "It's better I let them know to their face than to speak about them behind their back." or even "____ doesn't know who I am, I'm gonna let ____ know exactly how I feel." The problem is, this type of attitude is usually self driven. And more than likely, the person being given "a piece of their mind" is not confronted in a private setting. Usually the person "attacking with truth" has already shared their plan with someone else or has an audience with them. The person being told off is probably someone the attacker knows is no match to them mentally, physically or socially. Or even if they are a match in one or more areas, this is liable to be a person that they dislike. Either way, it's clear that no love will be shown, despite the level of truth.

The Bible clearly tells us that we should "love one another" and we should "speak the truth in love". To do this means we will show consideration and respect to whomever we are speaking to. Just because the truth is told, (negative or positive) it does not have to be done in a rude manner. Anyone who does not speak with love, should know that the Bible says if we hurt one of His little ones, it would be better to put a millstone around our necks and be thrown in the sea! That gives a pretty clear picture of how important it is not to hurt those we perceive as being "weaker" than ourselves.

A few years ago, it was popular to wear bracelets with WWJD on them, which stood for "What would Jesus do?" Maybe persons who are prone to attack others with truth should have this acronym branded onto their wrist. I don't think...no...I know that the Bible never meant the truth to be used as a weapon to destroy people. As a matter of fact, when Satan tried to tempt Christ, the scriptures he quoted were the truth, but he used them in a distorted way. This is the way of persons who misuse the truth. They use truth in such a way as to tear a person down - in other words, to kill them. Oh yes, there are many ways to kill.

So child of God, if you have been using the truth as your own personal weapon of negative power, you should sit down and do some self evaluating and repenting. That person you think needs a piece of your mind, might be one The Father has sent your way to be gently nudged back on the right path with loving truth. Anyway, none of us need to lose even one cell of our minds. Sons and daughters, speak the truth, but do it with love!

Peace be unto you!

Have I Taken a Vow?

Some persons who read this blog have asked me if I have taken the vow of The Nazarite. I always tell them, "no". At least not in the traditional sense. Because when they ask this, most of them think that I mean I will not cut my hair, abstain from grape products, do not touch dead people etc. which is the literal vow of the Biblical Nazarite. No, I have not taken a vow in that way, but I am forced to ask myself, "Have a taken a vow?" And most importantly, "What is a vow?" The formal definition is:

"a solemn promise or assertion; specifically: one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition."

The first thing that came to my mind when thinking of "vow" is a marriage or a formal, binding contract of some type. This lead me to think on us as the bride of Christ and sons and daughters of God. Did we take a vow when we agreed to follow The Son? Is this what we agreed to do as believers? After all, most of us who are believers have said within our spirits that we choose to live a certain way unto God. But is this a vow?

Still, I must get back to the original subject, "Do I believe that my choice to live in The Nazarite Spirit is the same as the Nazarites of old - in the area of taking vows?" I do believe in abstinence from the vine in a spiritual context. Because the avoidance of the vine is representative of abstaining from worldly living. The avoidance of dead people means that I will not immerse myself in the lifestyle and ways of the spiritually dead. The allowing of the hair to grow represents humbleness. This means I will not get caught up in myself. I will realize that I am a vessel to be used expressly for God's purposes. Will I say that I have taken a vow? No. Why? Well...because I am not under a contract. I do not feel constrained in any way. I feel impelled. This I do freely of my own will because of the Spirit which The Father has placed in me. I pray that The Father will strengthen me in my walk and allow me to come into the perfect fulfillment of what He has for me. It is not because of pressure or bondage or condition or expectation of something for myself. I choose to live in the Nazarite Spirit for as long as The Father leads me to do so. Peace! Blessings! And much Love!

Do Something, Say Something

It's so hard to speak sometimes in the face of adversity. It is so much easier to just sit and say nothing. It's hard to come out of our comfort zone and shake things up, even when we know we should. How often do we hear about some woman, or child being abused and hundreds of people being around and no one does anything? How common is it to face situations where someone is wronged and we who witness the wrong - no matter how small, say or do nothing? What if someone had spoke up when that first slave ship arrived in America and admitted that what was going on was wrong? What if a soldier had refused to shift the Native Americans from place to place? What if someone had insisted that we find another method of fuel other than oil before now? Too often when somebody says something that goes against the grain, they are immediately deserted by all the "good people" who just don't want to get involved.

Starting today, do something or say something! If you see someone mistreating a clerk or waitress, say something! If you see a child being mishandled do something! If you see injustice in your world, take action! If you see paper on the ground, pick it up! Let's stop letting fear, tradition, ridicule and ostracization determine our actions! I'm not saying go out and start a revolution! But I am saying, we need to stop being so self absorbed and/or cowardly that we refuse to see or hear our fellowmen's cries for help in the face of adversity! Let's be the sons and daughters of God He has called us to be. God has not given us a spirit of fear, He has given unto us, a spirit of love, a spirit of power and a sound mind! Peace be unto you!